Secrets
by Hanya625
Summary: Beast series #3, Yoruichi and Urahara go to Los Noches to uncover the names of more of Aizen's victims and in doing so a strange new world is further opened up.
1. Chapter 1

**Secrets**

 **Chapter 1**

Yoruichi was lounging in the sun in a rain forest somewhere in the human world, mostly naked except for a small purple bikini that covered very little, when she felt a senkaimon open nearby. She slowly opened her eyes when she felt the change in the human world's energy and her eyes narrowed as she slowly sat up; it seemed that her days of lounging around and doing very little were over. She hopped down and wandered over towards the gate as four figures stepped through, two of which only looked vaguely like themselves, and when they all four turned her direction she watched as the two that had changed slowly reverted back to their more normal selves

"I didn't figure the senkaimon required you to change to keep yourselves safe," she said and Renji shrugged and pulled his hair up with a spare hair tie he'd kept up his sleeve

"Unfortunately the senkaimon registers our energy as an arrancar and we're faster if we change," Ukitake said and Yoruichi smirked at that

"You must have an interesting story for why you'd risk it and come to the human world," she said and crossed her arms and Ukitake nodded seriously before he said

"The head captain needs to talk with you about leading a small group into hueco mundo. The Gotei 13 is stretched thin dealing with the hollows left over from Aizen's rebellion, which is why we're here to deal with the ones that have made it this far, but he thinks you and Urahara would be the best choices to go and gather the data that Aizen may have hidden," Yoruichi frowned and turned her back to them as she thought over all the possible recruits that might be willing to come with her but then Ukitake delivered the kicker "he'd be willing to accept Urahara back into the soul society if you both agree, even if you aren't able to find anything," she looked back at him with a frown

"I see, and what has him feeling so generous all of a sudden?" Ukitake's face immediately hardened and Yoruichi had a feeling she wouldn't like his next words and she was right

"He's learned about one of Aizen's experiments in particular, one he was fond of forcing on others," Yoruichi looked away again then sighed and rubbed at the back of her neck as she tensed up a little

"Yeah, well, with you and Renji changing all of a sudden I guess I shouldn't be surprised," she said and looked back at him "has anyone else begun displaying symptoms?" Renji shrugged a shoulder and kinda half joked

"Well, Yachiru keeps trying to chew on Ikkaku's head if that counts," Yoruichi smiled and shook her head

"Well, if her hair ever turns a color other than pink I think I'd worry more," she said and stretched then glance back at them "So, while you guys are hunting how long do I have to go and get Kisuke?"

"The head captain wants you both in hueco mundo before tomorrow night, he said he'd open the senkaimon directly into Aizen's compound so you won't have to worry about walking across all of that damned sand," Renji said and Yoruichi sighed and looked up at the sun which told her it was nearly lunch time

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to get a move on then," she said and she stretched one more time before changing into her small black house cat form and as she darted off towards the nearest road she heard Renji say

"Man, I really hope we never turn into house cats, we'd never live it down,"

"Oh, I don't know, it might be nice to carry Ju around," Kyoraku teased and was evidently smacked for his trouble which made Yoruichi smile until she started thinking of all the trouble this was going to be

'Kisuke has been away from home far too long though, anything I can do to help him get back there will be well worth the effort,' she sighed mentally as she began to flash step, the trip home would leave some time for thinking but she really didn't want to with the thoughts that were beginning to pop into her head. Aizen had been a bastard, more so than anyone really knew it turned out, and so far they'd found out the hard way that he'd raped at least three people in the soul society. No one was sure yet why it was that large cats seemed to be the only result in their changed bodies, but so far Ukitake had taken on the spots of a leopard, Renji's hair became a blood colored jaguar's coat, and then of course there was Yoruichi who no one had ever seen as anything but a house cat but in truth she'd been a black panther first.

She'd learned after years of struggling that she could focus her spirit energy and use it in other ways besides claws and fangs, and she'd quickly adopted those fighting styles instead of drawing attention to herself. Kisuke had helped, of course, and he'd learned about her past long before anyone else because he'd been the one to eventually find her when she'd been drinking home alone and she'd evidently blabbed everything to him. She still winced to think what else she might have told him but thankfully his attitude towards her hadn't changed a bit, making her think that he'd possibly suspected all along but had only then had his suspicions confirmed. She'd cried, raged, and eventually begun to heal until she'd heard about Ukitake and then later Renji, now it seemed she was destined to confront her worst memory in a level of detail that she wished she could shy away from 'I can't though, and I know it; there's too many unanswered questions that can't be left to guess at the least of which has to be is there anyone else who hasn't begun to show signs of changing yet?' she shook her head and hopped up onto a fence that bordered the Urahara shop before hopping back down and changing as she wandered into the empty house; Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu were nowhere in sight so Yoruichi wasn't expecting to see Kisuke but when she went into the bedroom in search of clothing she found him asleep lying on his back in bed. She blinked in confusion and knelt by his side, leaning over him and sniffing him delicately, and she yelped when she suddenly found herself pulled over him and cuddled to his hard body as he nuzzled her

"Oh, Yoruichi, I thought I'd scared you off for good this time!" he wailed dramatically and Yoruichi felt her eye twitch a little as she mentally shook her head

'Why do I love this guy again?' she wondered to herself and shoved at his shoulder which caused him to loosen his hold with a laugh, though he kept her in the circle of his arms as his face became a little more serious though no less warm

"Welcome home," he said softly and she rolled her eyes then leaned forward to kiss his cheek before using her opportunity to get up and get changed from her bikini behind the dressing screen

"Yamamoto has a request of us, says if we agree he'll let you come home," Kisuke was quiet, as she'd expected him to be since she'd been shocked to hear the news and she knew it had to be an even bigger shock to him, and once she'd shrugged into a loose fitting black shirt and pants set she came back around the screen to see Kisuke sitting up in bed and watching her with a surprisingly hard expression

"What aren't you telling me?" he asked and Yoruichi cocked an eyebrow

"Those are the details," she said "we're to go and search through some research and even if we don't find much Yamamoto said he'd be willing to let you come home,"

"He wouldn't reverse my banishment if he assumed this was going to be easy, and since he's ordered you along with me I can guess just what research he's interested in," Urahara stood up and stalked over to her "It's Aizen, isn't it?" she nodded and he took both her hands in his, his eyes cold though she knew it wasn't because of her "That bastard raped you and Yamamoto expects me to go through kami knows how many video files and watch him do it?" Yoruichi refused to wince, though she felt bile rise in her throat anyway

"It's not just me, Kisuke," she said softly and Urahara stiffened and she nodded "Ukitake and Renji too, and they're just the ones that have changed and had no choice but to come forward; there might be more that haven't changed yet. We need to look through the research and find them so that we can help them through it," Urahara winced and pulled her into a hard hug, and she knew she'd convinced him; he'd never let others suffer if he knew he could help

"I won't ask you to relive it, Yoruichi," he said softly "you can look through written notes searching for other names and I'll… I'll take the heavy lifting on this mission," she turned her head to nuzzle his neck and she murmured against his pulse

"It won't be as hard as you think, I was a different girl back then," she promised and he tightened his hold, clearly more distressed about this than she was allowing herself to be, and she pressed a kiss to his throbbing pulse before licking lightly and he loosened his hold with a shiver before turning and nipping her neck in retaliation which only made her smile fondly "We don't need to go until tomorrow, but the senkaimon will open directly into the fort so we'll only need a few hours to get from here to there. Ukitake said that all we're required to do is go through whatever's still there, if anything, and report back to Yamamoto when we get back," she said and he sighed then nodded and pulled back before he gave her a soft and sweet kiss that instantly made her melt against him

"I'll go and pack, can I talk you into getting dinner ready?" she nodded and he kissed her again before murmuring against her lips "And maybe I can talk you into waiting naked in bed for me after?" he teased and she swatted his shoulder and left for the kitchen as he chuckled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

They found the lab easier than he'd thought they would, but with Yoruichi in her panther form it was really hard for the hollows nearby to suspect she didn't belong here without seeing her; having a soul reaper at her side just convinced them that she was having lunch. He admired her sleek black coat and her expressive golden eyes when she glanced back at him and he smiled when she lifted her upper lip in a silent snarl

"Stop ogling me, pervert," she jabbed and he lightly patted her hip

"You're beautiful, but I much prefer to flirt with your other form," he teased back and she rolled her eyes as she padded ahead and looked around at the empty test tubes, some of which still had blood samples in them he noted, but his real interest was the computer along the back wall. He wandered to it as Yoruichi changed back to her human form and started going through papers, and once he turned it on and cracked the security system he got a pair of headphones he'd brought with him and plugged them in. Yoruichi had swore in more ways than one that she wasn't going to lose it if she heard something she didn't like but Urahara refused to subject her to anymore than he had to; she'd been through enough. He went through several video files, mostly nameless humans since they hadn't survived the 'process' as Aizen put it, and when he reached a file tagged YS001 he opened it and his blood went cold when the camera opened up on a scene straight out of hell. In it a younger Yoruichi was strapped to a table and hooked up to several machines, and when Urahara heard the whine of an electric saw he had to put the video on mute to keep himself from throwing up.

Yoruichi was well aware that Urahara was upset, they'd taken a short break a little while ago and he was looking a bit green and refusing her attempts to start a conversation, and she finally crawled over to where he was sitting on the ground and laid her head in his lap. He startled as if he hadn't heard her approach and she looked up at him with a concerned frown when he reached a shaking hand to her face and cupped her cheek

"I don't think you should watch anymore," she told him and he shook his head though she could tell he wanted to agree

"I haven't even made it through your videos yet, let alone gone through the rest," Yoruichi frowned and ventured

"Videos, as in more than one?" he nodded and she noted his color turned a bit greener

"He didn't just rape you," he said and Yoruichi winced and turned her head away, evidently she'd repressed more than she'd realized

"I found a few more names that we'll have to report," she admitted and she felt Urahara's hand begin rubbing her arm, which helped a bit to soothe them both

"Do you think Ukitake and Renji will be able to change their forms fully after a few more years?" he asked, trying to focus on something besides Yoruichi's screams, and Yoruichi shrugged

"According to Aizen's notes I was the only female who survived, and after me he moved on to men because he assumed women weren't surviving because we were physically weaker," she grinned up at him but it was forced "Maybe I'm just special, and I kinda hope I am; I don't see Yamamoto letting jungle cats run around the seireitei even if one of them is Ukitake," Urahara lowered his mouth to hers and she closed her eyes, taking the comfort he offered and giving some in return before he pulled back to glance back at the computer screen which he'd purposefully turned off so she wouldn't see whatever he'd paused on "How much longer, do you think?" she asked and he shook his head and ran his thumb over her cheek

"Another several hours to get through yours, if I don't stop again; I just hope he didn't document everything this extensively or we could be here for a week or more," Yoruichi hesitated for a moment then ventured

"I could… sit in your lap while you watch, I know I can't take away the horror but maybe I can help if you feel that I'm there with you," Urahara frowned down at her

"I don't want you watching any of this," he said and she sat up

"I can wear a blindfold and snuggle up to your chest, I won't see anything, and I know you turned the volume off a while ago because you aren't wearing your headphones anymore," she leaned forward and nuzzled his cheek "Please, if you insist on putting yourself through this at least let me help where I can," he hesitated, clearly torn, and he sighed before insisting

"You can't see this stuff, Yoruichi, I mean it; you've repressed it for a good reason," he cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead before relenting "Thank you, I know that even being here is hard for you," she smiled up at him

"Wherever you are, we both know you need me," he gave her a sad smile

"More than you realize sometimes," he said and stood, and once he'd settled in the chair he pulled her sideways into his lap and cradled her close for a long while before he sighed softly and kissed her head then he wrapped her scarf carefully around her eyes. She snuggled close when he was done and he sighed again before he turned the computer back on and began where he'd left off.

Yoruichi stayed where she'd nuzzled for what must've been hours and every time she felt Urahara start to stiffen or shudder she'd nuzzle him, he held her a bit tighter in some parts and even kissed the top of her head when he needed to, and once even whispered her name in horror but she felt that in general his spirit energy and distress level had gone down with her held close. She wasn't sure which was worse, the fact that he was learning things she didn't remember or the fact that they both knew he could stomach it a lot better than she could, but in the end she decided it didn't matter. Just like he needed her, they both knew she needed him even more. His touch soothed her, calmed her even when she was in a rage, and now when she sensed that he was about to throw up she could only touch his chest and murmur

"Time for a break," and she heard the mouse click barely a second later, as if he'd been thinking the same thing

"The good news is so far you're right, there were no other women," he said and laid his cheek on the top of her head "However, what he did to Ukitake makes me wonder how he didn't go completely insane,"

"Kyoraku," she said simply and he sighed and nodded

"Well, we have a couple of names to give to Yamamoto when we go back but part of me can't help but wonder why they haven't changed yet; they're both fighting fools,"

"From what I've read, it seems that hueco mundo is the only really ideal place to get the change to take place; I was brought here, Ukitake was as well, and Renji came voluntarily after Aizen was captured so if they are kept away maybe they won't have to deal with any sort of changes," Urahara sighed

"Even if you're right, they will get stronger if they change and you know how they are when it comes to chances at getting stronger," Yoruichi sighed

"You're right, we're doomed to be the babysitters of two crazy guys," Urahara smirked, when she put it that way it was hard to be worried, but his smile faded and he asked

"Who will handle Zaraki though?" Yoruichi winced at the mere thought

"I would say Yachiru, but I can't see her dealing well with this," she hopped from his lap and held her hand out to him "I think it's time we go and consult with Yamamoto; now is a great time to take a break anyway,"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Captain Kenpachi Zaraki was sitting outside with his shirt off to let the wind cool him off after a particularly hard work out when he felt a senkaimon open and a spirit energy he wasn't familiar with came through, he opened his eye that wasn't covered by an energy eating monster and glanced in that direction with a bit of curiosity though not enough to prompt him to get up and he sighed as Yachiru appeared at his side with some water

"Yoruichi is back," she said and Zaraki nodded and took the water she offered "and I think Urahara is with her," Zaraki cocked an eyebrow at that, deciding it was worth getting up after all, and as he stood Yachiru hopped onto his back

"I thought you said you would go back to your true form after your last birthday," Zaraki muttered as he wandered towards the head captain's office and Yachiru grinned and said

"But Kenny, we don't know when I was born," he sighed, it was hard to fight that one, but regardless he said

"It would be nice to kiss you in public and not have people making comments about how you're too young for that shit," Yachiru blinked in confusion

"I'm only 100 years younger than you are, Kenny,"

"Yeah, but in that form no one can tell and it's not like people read personnel files anymore, hell I think the only one who knows how old you are besides me is the old man," Yachiru frowned at that and propped her chin on Zaraki's shoulder for a long while

"Am I old enough for sex yet, Kenny?" she asked suddenly and Zaraki snorted

"Hell no," he said in a hard voice and she shrugged

"Well then I don't need to be in my true form," she paused then said "wait, you want to kiss me Kenny?" he snorted again but didn't reply and after a short distance Yachiru surprised him and hopped down from his back and he turned back to tell her to get back onto his back and stop fooling around but he saw by the way she was glowing just what she was about to do

"Whoa, wait, Yachiru, not here!" he protested and quickly rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her just as she finished changing into a curvy woman with wavy, waist length pink hair; she was a tall woman but she only reached Zaraki's shoulder and when she opened her golden eyes and looked up at him he saw that they were cat-like as per her usual when she changed into this form "Dammit, Yachiru, you don't just change in the middle of the street like that! You don't have any clothes out here!" she smiled and snuggled close to his chest

"Well I guess I'll just have to steal your shirt for a while, Kenny, since you're not wearing it anyway," she said in a smooth as silk bedroom voice that he didn't think he'd ever get used to coming from his Yachiru, and he pulled the ends of his shirt from his pants where he'd tucked it for later and wrapped her in it with a glare

"It's sweaty," he muttered and gathered her into his arms, careful to tuck the bottom of his shirt between her legs so that it wouldn't ride up "you're so impulsive," she snuggled close to his chest and sighed happily making his mouth twitch upward, and when they got back to the squad 11 barracks he set her down and swatted her butt to get her moving when she didn't leave his side "Go on, get dressed so we can see what's going on," she grinned and trotted behind the changing screen before tossing his shirt back out to him, he shrugged it on and tied it before tucking it in and by the time he was done Yachiru was coming out in a summery looking pink dress that had him staring "Where the hell did you get that?" she smiled and twirled

"I made it, captain Unohana showed me how, isn't it cute?" she asked and grinned when Zaraki rolled his eyes and rubbed a hand down his face with a sigh

"If anyone ever learns that you were keeping that thing in my room, I'll have to quit," Yachiru frowned and moved over to his side where she took his arm and said very seriously

"If they laugh, I will kill them," he tilted her head up with his free hand and watched as her eyes widened in surprise and he leaned down to press a hungry kiss to her trembling mouth

"Blood thirsty wench, you know how hot that gets me," Yachiru smiled, part amusement and part invitation, and Zaraki straightened again "Come on, Yamamoto's going to call a meeting any minute if Urahara's back in town; if you're really so curious about sex I'll fuck you later," Yachiru chuckled and took his hand in hers as they left the barracks

"Oh Kenny, you're so sweet to me,"

"That shit went down years ago," Zaraki said without interest as he picked some wax out of his ear with his pinkie finger "he said it would help me get stronger so I let him fuck me on the off-chance it actually worked, but other than pissing me off it didn't do anything," Yamamoto's eyebrow twitched, obviously not liking his language but he let it pass, after all that was just Zaraki

"That's because you weren't in the right environment," he explained and Zaraki looked at him with a lot more attention

"Ok, so tell me where I need to go," he said as Yachiru swung her legs from her perch up on a pillar a few feet away

"Do you really want to be a crazy cat guy Kenny?" she asked and Zaraki waved her concern off

"I'll be a fucking monkey if it means getting stronger, so tell me where I'm supposed to go old man," Yamamoto's eyebrow twitched again and he said seriously

"I'll tell you, but you have to take lieutenant Kusajishi with you," Yachiru clapped excitedly

"Yay, a vacation!" she cried and Zaraki hesitated, notably not liking the idea of possibly getting Yachiru in danger, but he said

"Alright, she'll go with me, now where am I going?" Yamamoto looked at him seriously as he said

"You will have to be provoked into a rage, or have your life put in danger in hueco mundo; after that you will change, possibly go mad-" Zaraki was already leaving, and Yachiru trotted along after him humming happily as Yamamoto shook his head with a resigned sigh

"So, think he'll be alright?" Yoruichi asked Urahara from the spot they'd been standing and Urahara shrugged a shoulder

"Zaraki is already mad, so guess we don't have to worry about that, though what I really want to know is how it is that Yachiru can change her form when she clearly wasn't one of Aizen's subjects,"

"Lieutenant Kusajishi has always been a mystery, she was already old enough to be a human grandmother when she first joined as Zaraki's lieutenant and she's lived at least a human's life time since then. I doubt she keeps a younger form for vanity, but honestly I don't think it matters. No matter her form, she is very strong," Yamamoto said and Yoruichi sighed and turned to face the head captain

"And the other name we gave you?" Yamamoto shook his head

"I don't see him going anywhere for a while, he prefers it here, so we'll just leave him to his own devices for now," he looked back at Urahara "And as for you two, how is the research going so far? Have you discovered anything new besides those two names?"

"Kisuke has a much stronger stomach when I'm not the test subject," Yoruichi said seriously, earning a look from Urahara "He's noticed a few patterns but nothing concrete just yet, they could just be habits of Aizen's, but we'll report in when we find out anything more," Yamamoto nodded and waved his hand, clearly dismissing them

"Zaraki will no doubt be wanting to travel back with you two, so you may stay for an hour to give them time to pack and follow," Yoruichi gave him a limp salute, the closest thing she'd bother with in the respect area, and Urahara inclined his head a little before following after her and as they walked into the city Urahara stopped and stared as it finally begun to sink in that he was back. He took a deep breath then turned to Yoruichi with a grin on his face and she gave him a tolerant half smile

"I'm going to go soak in our training grounds, you remember where they are?" he nodded and she leaned over and fixed his hat before smiling and flash stepping away, and Urahara looked around curiously as the longed for reishi he'd so missed began to flood his body now that he was out of Yamamoto's office. He wandered for a little while before visions of Yoruichi naked and soaking called him to follow after her, and when he reached their old training grounds he remembered with not a little pain the first time they'd come here. Yoruichi had helped him dig/build this place and she'd done it mostly in her panther form because she hadn't been able to stand her human skin at the time; she'd eventually learned to deal with the pain she'd felt inside and one evening when he'd fallen asleep holding her she'd changed back and hugged him. He didn't think he'd felt that much emotion upon waking to see her face since these last few days in hueco mundo, and when he jumped down the ladder he landed hard and made his way towards the gentle steam he could see over towards the opposite end of the huge cavern.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Yoruichi smiled when she saw Urahara approaching but her smile faded when she saw the look in his haunted eyes, no doubt he was remembering the past and how she'd been treated, and she sighed mentally and rose from the water to go to him. He opened his arms and hugged her tightly, not seeming to care that she was getting his robes all wet, and when he pulled back Yoruichi melted into his warm kisses. The more he teased her it seemed, the more she was becoming comfortable with the idea of some day going further with him but especially after today she knew it wouldn't be an option now if ever it was. She tugged on his robe, urging him closer and he shrugged from his shirt and hugged her close as she untied his pants and when they dropped he startled her by lifting her into his arms and tossing her into the water. She immerged spluttering as he laughed, but she immediately noted he was waist deep in the water now and she couldn't help by think he'd done that just to keep her from seeing his body. She splashed him which only made him laugh harder, and then he swam lazily over to her and kissed her nose before ducking to the side when she made to smack him but he chuckled, obviously more at ease now

"I didn't realize how much different this place was until I was trying to rebuild it in the human world," he said and Yoruichi nodded and sank neck deep into the soothing heat with a happy sigh

"Can't beat the healing properties of this stuff, though I know you tried to replicate it back under your shop," Urahara gave her a serious look that made her wonder what he was thinking about

"Do you have a problem with me looking at you?" he asked suddenly and Yoruichi cocked an eyebrow

"You're always looking at me, I'm used to it by now," he shook his head and swam a little closer

"I meant all of you, not just your face," Yoruichi chuckled and leaned closer to kiss him before she got out of the water and laid herself out within his reach to dry

"If you wanted to see me naked, you only had to ask Kisuke," she teased and immediately felt his gaze on her, the scars she had kept inside back then were more emotional than physical because of this healing spring and because there were no physical reminders it had made her emotional pain a bit easier to overcome. She felt Urahara lightly touching her body, his touch kept impersonal and clinical as it always was when he was doing research, and she smiled to herself as she closed her eyes and relaxed into the warm sandstone beneath her. He examined her for well over an hour before she felt his fingers begin to shake and she opened her eyes to look down at him only to find his heated gaze fixed between her legs; she licked her lips, a little nervous but more curious to know just what about that area had him so enraptured, and she parted her legs and bent one knee and watched as his pupils dilated

"Have you always been hairless?" he asked a bit breathlessly and she shivered, she'd never heard him talk in that tone and it had her body reacting in new and strange ways

"Yeah, have been for as long as I can remember," she said and his hand which he'd rested on her thigh moved upward and his thumb pressed against a spot that made her pussy clench in helpless reaction, making her gasp softly and shudder with delight when he began to rub in slow circles "oh, Kisuke, I don't know what you're doing but please don't stop," she whispered and when he looked up at her she knew immediately that he'd switched between research mode and something entirely different now, almost like when he was teasing her but more intense. He moved a little closer so that he could lean over her and when he kissed her and kept moving his fingers against the hard little bud he'd found he made her pussy clench as she moaned into his hungry kisses. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he continued to tease her tighter and tighter until she was whimpering and writhing against him, and when he pressed two of his long fingers inside she arched with a soft cry as her body quivered and tightened impossibly more "Kisuke," she whispered and he nuzzled her and panted softly

"Trust me, baby, I'm right here," his husky voice propelled her into orgasm and she cried out as he coaxed every shudder from her that he could with his talented fingers, then kissed her as she clung to him. He gathered her close and pulled her with him back into the water, but he immediately moved away leaving her feeling a bit cold even in the hot water. When she glanced over at him in confusion she immediately realized he had his back to her and was leaning his hands against the other edge of the spring as if needing the support, she moved closer to him as worry took root and she saw that he was shuddering as she had been a moment ago. She laid a hand on his shoulder and felt him shudder again before he glanced back at her, the heat in his eyes almost enough to scorch her all over again, and she moved carefully between him and the side of the spring so that his erection pressed against her stomach. He moved to pull back but she followed and kissed him as she wrapped her hand around his cock which throbbed against her palm

"Trust me," she said when he looked as if he'd protest and his expression melted a little, the fight leaving him but none of the heat. She moved her hand slowly, memorizing the feel of him, and she even moved her hand down to feel the soft sac beneath; every new sensation made her feel bolder, every time he shuddered made her want more, and when she wrapped her hand around him again and began to move her hand up and down he laid his head against her shoulder as he panted hotly. She felt his cock throbbing harder in her hand and she tightened her hold a bit as she kept moving, recalling that her body had tightened like this around his fingers, and he groaned and shuddered against her as the water suddenly clouded around their hips and his cock jerked hard in her grasp. She continued to play with him till he softened and when he lifted his lips and kissed her lazily she had to smile as relief flooded her; even sexual things with Urahara were comfortable, she should have guessed they would be.

"Why not?" Yachiru demanded with her hands on her once more tiny hips and Zaraki glared down at her

"Forget it, Yachiru, carrying around an extra shihakusho for you is one thing but I will not be caught dead carrying your damned pink dress!" she pouted cutely then ran to the closet and pulled out a light yellow one with small pink flowers on it, her expression hopeful "I said no!" he snarled and she tossed it back inside in frustration and finally yelled

"You carry me around all the time and I'M pink!" Zaraki groaned and scrubbed a hand down his face in agitation

"It's not the same thing, you're my lieutenant and no matter what fucking color you are you can kill half the soul reapers in this damned place!" Yachiru glared at him for a long while and he glared right back until she turned away and snapped

"Fine, I'll go with you in my other form and everyone will see me around the whole seireitei and that'll blow my secret and word will get out about me and captain Kurotsuchi will want to dissect me and I'll never ever forgive you!" she wailed the last part and Zaraki growled lowly

"He touches you and I'll dissect him with my bare fucking hands," she held up a light blue dress, this one spotted with tiny white diamonds, and he growled and stuffed it into his bag much to Yachiru's delight before grabbing her by the back of her shihakusho and tossing her onto his back where she happily scrambled up to his shoulder

"So we get to go and fight hollows, right Kenny?" she asked, clearly their brief spat forgotten, and Zaraki glared at the senkaimon in the distance as he left his room and stalked towards it

"I'm going to have to get pissed off in hueco mundo or put my life in danger, neither option is gonna be a walk in the park," he grumbled "the hollows there are a joke, and to find any that might be a threat we'll have to travel pretty far from where Yoruichi and Urahara'll be shacking up," Yachiru blinked in confusion and he sighed "Fucking,"

"Oh, okay Kenny," she said and settled in for the ride and Zaraki couldn't help but wonder how it was he forgot some days that Yachiru could be so clueless about some things; in a lot of ways she really was still just a kid even if she was over 200 by now. She rarely went to the human world, which was probably how she'd managed to stay so innocent in matters not related to bloodshed, and when she suddenly tapped his shoulder he glanced back at her to see her serious face

"Kenny, I know you said I'm not old enough, but can I ask some questions about sex?" he sighed and kept walking, part of him wanting to ignore the subject and hope it went away but he knew he couldn't hurt Yachiru like that; besides if he didn't answer her questions she'd find someone who would. He nodded once curtly and she put her chin on his shoulder again as she no doubt wondered where to start "Why do people have sex?"

"It feels good," he said shortly

"Like killing?" he shook his head

"No, it's a different kind of good," Yachiru was quiet again then ventured

"Like the good feeling when you kissed me, Kenny?" he froze, he hadn't considered that she'd have felt anything from so brief a contact, and he looked over his shoulder again warily

"Warm?" he ventured and she nodded and he cursed and started walking again

"Kenny?" she pressed and he sighed and shook his head, not wanting to admit this next part in case it gave her ideas but knowing she wouldn't give him a chance to dodge the question

"That's just the start, it lets people know that the person they're kissing might be fun to fuck," she went quiet again then, thankfully, steered the questions away from dangerous waters

"How come you don't have sex with anyone, Kenny?"

"Fucking doesn't make you stronger, it's just for fun," he said and Yachiru blinked in confusion, he could practically hear it

"Ukitake and Kyoraku are stronger now and they have sex," she said and Zaraki barked out a laugh, he should've known she'd pick up on that

"They don't exactly fuck the same way," he said and she sighed

"I know that Kenny, they're both guys so they can't have sex the same way as a guy and a girl," he shook his head and rolled his eyes skyward in a bid for patience

"I meant it's not called the same thing when two people love each other," Yachiru waited and he felt his cheeks flush a little before he muttered "it's called making love," Yachiru went blessedly silent after that and when they reached the senkaimon Yoruichi and Urahara were already standing there waiting for them

"Get lost again, Zaraki?" Yoruichi asked, her face alight with amusement and Zaraki flipped her off as the senkaimon opened, but he noted that Urahara was giving him a strange look as they stepped inside and began their lazy jog through

"Is there a reason you're face is pink, Zaraki?" he asked after a while and Zaraki opened his mouth to tell him to fuck off when Yachiru spoke up

"Kenny was answering some questions for me and I made him uncomfortable," she said, strangely obtuse for the usually up front woman, and Urahara glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow

"Speaking of questions, I have a few for you; how do you change?" she shrugged tiny shoulders

"I want to be bigger and I get bigger, I want to be small again and I get smaller," Urahara frowned, obviously running scenarios through his head as he tried to puzzle through what she'd said

"Have you ever tried to be anything except bigger or smaller?" he wondered and Yachiru frowned

"Like what?"

"Like an animal?" Yachiru made a face

"Why would I wanna be an animal? It would probably be a pink one and the only natural pink animals are ugly or babies," Urahara had to laugh at that one, after all her logic was hard to dispute

"Well, when we get to hueco mundo can you try for us? I'd really like to see if you can change into a cat like Yoruichi," Yachiru glanced up ahead where Yoruichi, on cue, changed into her house cat form while still running and Yachiru clapped happily

"Yay, I'd like to be a cute little kitty!" she said and Zaraki sighed as they continued to run; if Yachiru found out she could be an animal then things were about to get really strange in the squad 11 barracks.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Yachiru was heartbroken, she couldn't become a cat after all, and no matter what she tried the only thing she'd managed to do was become bigger again and that had pissed off Zaraki because Urahara had seen her naked. She sighed as she traced patterns on the floor, dressed in the blue dress she'd brought with her as she mused over just what she could do to make Zaraki happy again when she began to think of other things; Zaraki wanted to get stronger, and one of the ways was to make him mad, but she didn't want Zaraki mad enough to kill Urahara since Yoruichi loved him

'Maybe there's an arrancar left around here,' she mused and looked over to where Yoruichi and Urahara were talking then to where Zaraki was sitting with a scowl on his face, Urahara wanted to examine him before they left and Zaraki wasn't happy about it and had only finally said yes because Yoruichi threatened to injure him to the point where he wouldn't be able to leave for a week. Yachiru stood and wandered to a window and looked outside, the landscape was boring but what she sensed a little ways out could prove to be interesting. She glanced back at Zaraki just to make sure he was distracted then she turned and flash stepped out of the fortress and out into the wilderness of hueco mundo, kicking up sand with each step as she wandered further and further away and when she made it to a forest-like place she found herself surrounded by hollows who all licked their lips like she was a tasty looking dinner. She glared at them, after all she didn't like the looks of them, and she called her spirit energy to her which crushed three, then eight of them without her having to move. The others looked at each other nervously and she sighed and crushed them too 'These guys are too weak, I'll have to find some others,'

Zaraki was being poked and blood was being drawn from his arm and lower back when he realized Yachiru was gone, he didn't worry since he was sure she'd just wandered into another room but when he felt her release a fraction of her spirit energy outside the walls he sat up taller and looked in that direction with a frown that Yoruichi mirrored as she looked around the room in confusion

"Where's Yachiru?" she wondered and Zaraki stood, pulling the needle from his arm and handing it back to a protesting Urahara

"You can get your damned numbers later, I'm going after her,"

Yachiru was wandering about a day's travel from the fortress when she finally found a hollow that she thought might be a credible threat, he wasn't too much bigger than she was but she liked the spirit energy he was giving off as he slept. He looked like a wolf, she decided, and was wondering how would be the best to wake him up and get him to play with her when he opened a bright blue eye and looked at her as he sat up with a low growl

"Hi," she said and clasped her hands behind her back "do you think you could fight me for a bit?" it growled again and stood and Yachiru smiled "Great! Thanks," she took a fighting stance and when the wolf lunged at her Yachiru laughed and met it midair, but when they crashed together Yachiru felt something rip and she felt her first real stirring of unease. She landed on the ground and felt her left leg buckle and she looked down in confusion to see the massive bloody damage that had been done to her knee, before she looked back at the wolf whose back right paw had bloodied claws.

She swallowed and brought her arms up into a defensive position as she wondered just how she was going to make it out of this but then the wolf lunged again, she ducked and rolled to the side before coming up on her good leg and as she was tracking the wolf's progress she frowned in confusion when her vision blurred. She barely managed to duck to the side next time and finally she was forced to jump upward and grab onto a tree branch a good distance up, she held on tighter than she ever had to Zaraki as her vision spun again and she winced when she felt one of her hands slip, and as she reached back up to grab the branch again she felt the wolf bite down on her mangled knee.

A scream split the air and Zaraki felt his blood run cold, Yachiru didn't usually feel pain which was why she was so ruthless on the battlefield; for her to be making any sort of pained noise she must've been very badly hurt. He ran towards the sound and when he saw the hollow at first he didn't see Yachiru, but he heard a faint drip and looked up to see Yachiru in her larger form clinging to a tree branch and he felt bile rise in his throat when he realized why she looked so strange; the hollow had ripped the bottom part of her left leg off. His gaze darted back to the hollow where, sure enough, it had Yachiru's leg in its mouth and it looked like it had been chewing on it for the few seconds it had taken Zaraki to get there and Zaraki felt rage bubble up inside him as he took a step forward then burst into motion. He ripped the hollow apart with his bare hands before he'd even realized it and when he found Yachiru's leg still in the creature's jaws he pried them open and carefully retrieved the leg before looking up to see that Yachiru was still hanging onto the tree branch but her eyes were open and glazed over. She'd passed out, something he couldn't recall her ever doing before, and his chest tightened as he jumped up onto the branch and tried to get her to let go so that he could carry her. Her hands were a vise, one he couldn't remove without hurting her, and he growled and hung upside down from the branch and pulled her to his body before growling at her

"Dammit, Yachiru, let go!" her hands immediately loosened and he caught her then dropped to the ground where he quickly bound her leg as best he could then looked back towards the fortress; it would take too long to get there, if she'd passed out she was losing blood too quickly, and Zaraki gritted his teeth and tried to remember just how the soul society had gotten them here the first time. If he was remembering right then it was a lot closer than the senkaimon in the fortress… He cursed, he didn't have time to second guess himself, and he stood with Yachiru and her mangled leg cradled carefully to his chest before he took off in the direction he prayed he was remembering was the right way.

 **Epilog**

"Fuck off, Kurotsuchi!" Zaraki snarled

"I'm not asking to take her apart, after all she managed that quite well on her own, I just want to take some samples of her," the mad doctor tried to reason and Yachiru slowly opened her eyes and frowned when she saw that she was surrounded by steam, and now that she was taking stock of her body she realized she felt really warm too which felt strange. She looked around curiously and found her lower body submerged in hot water, and when she looked down at her leg she was surprised to see it whole again "Come on, it's not like she's ever going to get pregnant anyway," Kurotsuchi finally snapped and Yachiru looked up and said flatly

"Kenny won't let me have sex but that doesn't mean you can take anything out of me," several spluttered laughs had her turning her head to see that Unohana and a few squad 4 members were apparently there and the squad members were absolutely dying with laughter, though why Yachiru wasn't sure, and Unohana looked like she was trying hard not to join them. Zaraki knelt at her side, his face serious as he quickly looked her over then he looked back up at her face with a glare

"If you ever run off and try to get yourself eaten by a hollow again I will kill you myself," he said and Yachiru smiled

"Don't be silly, Kenny, I only needed to make you mad once," she said and he frowned before lifting one of his hands to grip her chin which showed her his claws

"You idiot, no amount of strength is worth losing you over," Yachiru could only stare, she'd never heard Zaraki say anything like that to anyone, and after a while she asked

"So what kind of crazy cat guy did you turn out to be, Kenny?" he smirked and when his spirit energy flared she saw stripes appear all over his body which made her grin "So we have Ukitake who's a leopard, Renji's a jaguar, Yoruichi is a house cat, and now Kenny is a tiger," she frowned "Wait, where is Yoruichi?"

"Ticked off cuz this was supposed to be a SECRET base, how the hell did you find this place?" Yoruichi asked as she stalked into view and Zaraki looked over his shoulder at her

"You're kidding right? Yachiru found this place years ago," Yoruichi glared at Yachiru who shrugged

"I didn't come here more than a handful of times, and I never took anything," she sank a little lower into the hot spring and muttered "I just like it here," Yoruichi sighed and shook her head as she turned and stalked away

"Dang it, how can you still be so freaking cute and have a chest that big?" she muttered and Yachiru looked down and shrugged then frowned when Zaraki tossed his shirt at her

"Where did my dress go?" she wondered as she shrugged it on and Zaraki crossed his arms

"Remember that hollow that tried to eat you? Well I got carried away and your dress isn't blue anymore," he muttered and Yachiru opened her mouth to yell at him about blood stains when Unohana suddenly clapped her hands twice and when everyone looked her direction she was smiling

"Well, I think now would be a perfect time to make a few more, what do you think about a sleep over Yachiru?" Yachiru grinned and wandered over to her but when Zaraki started to follow Unohana's face became less than welcoming "Sorry, captain Zaraki, but Yachiru and I are going to have some girl time today," he sighed and changed direction as Yachiru frowned and looked up at Unohana who was smiling again "We have some things to talk about, we can work on your new dresses while we talk," Yachiru nodded, curious since she and Unohana had never really been ones for talking while they worked, but curious to know just what was on the motherly soul reaper's mind.

After a full day and night of sewing and girl talk Yachiru was walking back to the squad 11 barracks in her true form dressed in a new blue dress she and Unohana had finished along with a few others in new colors, all of them in the same summery design that Yachiru had decided she liked, and when she finished putting the dresses away she found Zaraki outside where he was training with Ukitake in hand to hand combat. She watched them for about an hour, amazed anew at Zaraki's ability to change his fighting style depending on what he had to use and what he needed to get done, and Ukitake straightened and glanced in her direction before grinning and looking back to Zaraki

"I think we're done for today," he said and Zaraki straightened with a scowl

"We've only been going for three hours; don't tell me your tired already," Ukitake glanced back at Yachiru twice before Zaraki turned and looked at her and she saw his eyes soften before he nodded back at Ukitake "You're right, we're done; see you next week," he said and Yachiru couldn't help but see the look on Ukitake's face that was soft and sweet as if he were thinking about Kyoraku who was no doubt waiting for him back at their home, and when Zaraki came to a stop in front of her Yachiru looked back up at him with a smile

"I'm back," she said and he wrapped his arms around her before sighing, kissing her cheek, and picking her up. She laughed and squirmed in his arms and he looked down at her with a serious face that immediately had her attention

"We're going up to our room to take a nap," he said and she tilted her head curiously

"We haven't done that in ages, Kenny," she said and she noted that his cheeks pinkened a little in embarrassment when he admitted

"I'm not used to you being somewhere else when I'm trying to sleep, I don't think I got a solid 20 minutes all night," she smiled and lifted herself up enough to kiss his jaw before she admitted

"Unohana kept me up all night, so I think a nap would be a great idea," she laid her head on his chest and snuggled close "but before we sleep, can I ask a few more questions?" he sighed and his hand squeezed her hip

"If it's about fucking it can wait," he said and Yachiru shook her head

"Actually, I had something else I wanted to ask," he slid the door to their room open with his foot and kicked it closed before sitting in his desk chair with Yachiru perched in his lap

"Ok, you have me curious, what's on your mind?" he asked as he settled her and started stroking her hair as he leaned back comfortably

"It's just… I was wondering if you wanted me to move out," she asked after a while and felt him stiffen as he pulled her back with a gentle grip on the hair at the base of her skull

"Where the fuck is this coming from?" he demanded and she thought she saw a bit of hurt behind the anger in his eye but she swallowed with a bit of difficulty before admitting

"You can't have any relationships when I'm here, Kenny, it isn't fair to you and-" he cut her off with a hard kiss and she whimpered, it caused heat in her lower belly just like before but she could tell this was more of an angry kiss than anything else. He pulled back and growled, whatever thoughts that were going through his head clearly pissed him off because she could see his fangs as he spoke

"I don't know who's been fucking with your head, Yachiru, but if I have to kill everyone to keep you by my side I'll damn well do it!" she shook her head as best she could with the way he was holding it before she felt a tear escape her eye and his look immediately softened just like his hold "Do you want to move in to your own room?" he asked a little more gently but she could still see the hurt in his eye

"Of course not, Kenny, but with me here you can't bring anyone over to… I mean, for sex or any other sort of relationship," his eye narrowed but he kept his voice low

"Is there someone that you're wanting a relationship with? Is that what this is all about?" Yachiru closed her eyes, part of her afraid of what she knew she was going to say next, and he must have felt the way she started trembling because he pulled her into a hug and held her as he grumbled in her ear "Dammit, Yachiru, you know I'd never hurt you; if that's what you want I won't even hurt them, I just need to know how things stand between us," she clung to his chest and whispered into his neck

"You're an idiot, Kenny," his chest jumped in a chuckle that was more derisive than it was amused

"Well yeah, you knew that practically from day one," he stroked her hair and pressed a kiss to her neck and she heard his voice lower again and she couldn't help but wonder if maybe she wasn't the only one struggling "If I wasn't I'd know what to say to make you stay with me," she lifted her head and kissed him and she felt his arms tighten around her for a moment before he urged her to lean back, separating their mouths "Come on, Yachiru, what is it you're having a hard time telling me?" she put her palms on his chest and pushed till he released her and when she stood he rose as well and stalked her over towards the changing screen and only stopped when she stepped behind it to change into her pajamas

"I just wanted to say that I don't care about having sex anymore, so you don't have to worry about answering anymore questions," she said then came out from behind the screen in a simple white over sized t-shirt "I only ever wanted you, Kenny, but if we never make love then I think I'll be okay with that too," he simply stared at her for a long moment before he walked over to her and cupped her cheek, urging her to look up at him

"Do you have any idea what you just said?" he asked in a serious voice and she smiled before standing on her toes and kissing him softly before wandering over towards the bed

"I'm tired Kenny, come keep me warm," she said as she crawled under the covers and she saw his small smile before he shrugged from his shirt and crawled in after her before hauling her close to his body, they settled into a comfortable embrace and Yachiru smiled and said into the quiet "I love you Kenny, always have," he growled and leaned forward to nip her soft neck making her squirm

"Dammit, woman, when I wake up I'm gonna make you scream,"

"But you just said you'd never hurt me," she could practically hear his smirk when he retorted

"Oh believe me, you won't be screaming for me to stop,"


End file.
